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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103307">Bridge 1</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyWardenMaleia/pseuds/GreyWardenMaleia'>GreyWardenMaleia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hokamaii Gaiden [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Slow Build, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 21:43:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>505</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyWardenMaleia/pseuds/GreyWardenMaleia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Brief conversation between Hoka and Kakashi about their changing world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hokamaii Gaiden [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bridge 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Takes place approximately 2/3 of the way through Part 1, for reasons.<br/>I wasn't planning to have Hoka transform casually before Part II, but it didn't make sense for this conversation to wait that long.<br/>Besides, Naruto changes things quickly :')</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A golden glow overtook the village as the sun just began to set. It could be seen lowering itself along the horizon, casting yellow light down along the street on both sides of the river. Beneath the bridge, the water flickered with reflected sunlight. Hoka leaned her arms against the guardrails and peered across the dancing water.</p><p>“It’s funny,” she began in a low voice. “Even a handful of years ago, I would never have risked running around the village in plain site while transformed.” The smile on her face was pensive; slightly sad, but a smile nonetheless.</p><p>Kakashi turned towards her, but she continued to gaze out across the river. He stood next to her, his body also leaning against the bridge and facing the sun. He let her speak.</p><p>“All the years we spent acting as though reserving that form for the battlefield was the right choice for everybody, all that really did was make things worse. People never got used to seeing us. In the end, we called ourselves shinobi while living in fear of our own people. To think what we could have changed by simply living as we are, together, and given each other the credit and faith we deserved.”</p><p>“Well,” Kakashi began, noticing her pause, “I think the world has gotten a bit bigger since then.” He turned back toward the river and watched the sun flicker quietly in the distance. “The Great War certainly didn’t help to build trust between people. And the reasons for the growing tension between the Ookami and Konoha high command weren’t entirely unfounded.”</p><p>Hokamaii’s eyes widened. She was relieved to hear Kakashi validate the frustration her clan had experienced with Konoha. In truth, Hoka was aware that the allegations were unreasonable. Ookami members frequently specialized in scouting, reconnaissance, and stalling. It was only natural that shinobi sent out wouldn’t make it out alive if backup never arrived. That said, the question remained of how many people were left to die during a war which had been so desperate to be over. The thought had hovered over the Ookami who survived like an oppressive, suffocating cloud. Despite that, having a skilled tactician like Kakashi acknowledge her concerns felt like a weight was being taken off her chest. She smiled.</p><p>“I think," She began slowly, "we’re raising a generation now who sees such conflict differently. I almost wonder,” she said, her eyes now on a bird that was flying towards the river, “if we’ll see any more Great Wars”.</p><p>The bird she was watching approached the water and glided along the surface. It then flew back upwards, a water-skater crinkled in its beak, and it quickly soared away. The spot where the bird had dived into the water rippled outward, causing the sunlight to flicker in circles.</p><p>“I think that’s being optimistic,” Kakashi retorted. He looked upward toward the sky to see thin lines of cloud stretch and appear to fade across the horizon. The sky was just beginning to darken.</p><p>“But yeah…I wonder.”</p>
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